THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 January 2013 on the approval and market surveillance of two- or three-wheel vehicles and quadricycles, and in particular Articles 22(7), 27(4), 29(4), 30(2), 30(3), 30(6), 32(1), 38(2), 39(3), 40(4), 50(2), 51(3), 57(8) and Article 72 thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
In the interest of clarity, predictability, rationality and simplification and in order to reduce the burden on vehicle manufacturers, this Regulation should, being based on existing practice, further simplify and standardise the documents used for type-approval procedures.
(2)
New technologies have been introduced in vehicles (e.g. electric engines or the application of Euro emission levels) since the templates used for type-approval procedures were drawn up in Directive 2002/24/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. The templates should be adapted as a result.
(3)
To indicate which procedure has been chosen by the manufacturer when applying for type-approval, a new template for an ‘information folder sheet’ should be introduced.
(4)
To ensure that vehicles are constructed so as to remain safe throughout a reasonable period of time, templates should be created for manufacturer’s statements regarding the endurance of functional safety-critical systems, parts and equipment, and vehicle structure integrity, in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 168/2013.
(5)
In order to ensure reasonable access for independent operators to vehicle repair information, including information relating to on-board diagnostic systems and their interaction with other vehicle systems, manufacturers shall provide unrestricted access to that information and submit proof of their compliance with that requirement to the approval authorities. A template for a corresponding manufacturer’s certificate should be laid down.
(6)
Three models of a certificate of conformity should be made available, corresponding to the type-approval procedures for complete, completed and incomplete vehicles.
(7)
To facilitate the conversion of the performance level of subcategories (L3e/L4e)-A2 to (L3e/L4e)-A3 and vice versa, a template for a corresponding manufacturer's statement to be attached to the information folder should be provided for. In addition, some new information and entries in the certificate of conformity should be added and the characteristics of a specific statutory plate for the subcategories concerned should be determined.
(8)
In accordance with Article 82(2) of Regulation 168/2013 manufacturers may request EU type-approval or national type-approval for new vehicle types under that Regulation already before the application day. In order to facilitate the early application of that Regulation, it should be allowed to use the template of the certificate of conformity set out in Annex IV to Directive 2002/24/EC until 31 December 2015 under the conditions set out in Article 5(2).
(9)
In order to simplify controls while reducing the administrative burden on manufacturers, the anti-tampering control plate should no longer be required and the relevant information it contained should be included on the statutory plate.
(10)
In order to simplify the most common EU type-approval certificate, a new model should be developed exclusively for EU whole-vehicle type-approval of a complete vehicle type, while for the other combinations of vehicle types; a different model of the EU whole-vehicle type-approval certificate should be established.
(11)
Where the manufacturer chooses the single-step type-approval procedure, a list of applicable requirements or acts with which the type of vehicle complies should be appended to the EU whole-vehicle type-approval certificate.
A template for an EU type-approval certificate should be established with regard to harmonise the different templates previously provided for in the separate Union directives for systems and components or separate technical units.
(12)
The numbering system of the EU type-approval certificates provided for under Annex V to Directive 2002/24/EC should be modified to reflect the new legal structure of the acts containing the type approval requirements with which conformity is certified.
(13)
To harmonise the presentation of the most relevant information in test reports, a minimum set of requirements for the format of the test reports should be established.
(14)
To easily identify the results of the tests carried out on the type-approved vehicle, a test result sheet containing a required minimum set of information should be appended to the EU type-approval certificate.
(15)
The list of parts or equipment which may pose a serious risk to the correct functioning of systems that are essential for the safety of the vehicle or for its environmental performance should be established.
(16)
The template for a certificate authorising the placing on the market of parts or equipment which may pose a serious risk to the correct functioning of systems that are essential for the safety of the vehicle or for its environmental performance should be established, together with a certificate numbering system.
(17)
The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee referred to in Article 73(1) of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: